Scaffolding arrangement



June 13, 1961 E. L. OATMAN SCAFF'OLDING ARRANGEMENT Filed Feb. 7, 1957 4Sheets-Sheet 1 fig. h

INVENTOR. ELMER L. OAT/WAN June 13, 1961 E. OATMAN SCAFFOLDINGARRANGEMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 7, 1957 o o o INVENTOR.

ELMER L. OATMA/V :QQ QQGG m AGENT June 13, 1961 E. L. OATMAN 2,988,165

SCAFFOLDING ARRANGEMENT Filed Feb. 7. 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ELMER L. 0/] TMAN 2 A9. 507% 9 AGE/VT June 13, 1961 E. OATMANSCAFF'OLDING ARRANGEMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 7, 1957 INVENTOR.ELMEP L. 04 TMAN 97 X9. Q OMyL AGENT United This invention relatesgenerally to the building trades and more particularly to a device foruse by masonry trade personnel to facilitate their operations.

The primary object of this invention is therefore to provide a device topermit a brick mason to increase both the speed of operation of hislaying of brick or block in a continuous section, and also his endurancein laying masonry units without tiring.

Another object is to provide a device to permit a fewer number ofskilled personnel to produce an increased amount productive results inlaying masonry units in a straight continuous wall or section.

An additional object is to provide a device for permitting a fewernumber of unskilled personnel to take care for the supply requirementsof each skilled personnel than formerly possible in certain masonryoperations.

A still further object is to provide an adjustable scaffold from which amason may work and which will also carry a supply board for positioningthe masons material supplies at the most advantageous location.

And another object is to provide a masons scaffold which includes both afoot board to support the mason and a supply board to support hismaterials and which includes means to elevate both boards simultaneouslyas a wall is being constructed and automatic means to elevate first oneboard and then the other a predetermined distance to position thematerials within the strike zone of a mason at Work.

And yet another object is to provide a simple crank and ball bearingscrew arrangement by which the automatic adjustment is made to takeplace.

And a still further object is to provide a long coordinated bank ofscaffold sections to permit simultaneous production to be carried out bya number of brick masons on a continuous wall where the connectionbetween adjacent sections of the scaffold will permit one section to beraised when a particular mason is ready without having to wait for themason of the next adjacent section to finish his run of brick.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from thefollowing specification and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a top plan view of one section of the novel masonsscaffold arrangement of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2 showingits use in relation to a masonry wall being constructed. A part of thecathead has been removed for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the vertical guide and lift unit whichis part of each end support member.

FIG. 4A is a fragmentary detail perspective view of a modified post unitof FIG. 4-.

FIG. 5 is a detail elevational view of the traveling cathead of eachsupport member.

FIG. 6 is a detail top plan view of the material bracket of thisinvention.

FIG. 7 is a detail top plan view of the guide frame of the materialsupport of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary detail view of one set of co- "tates Patentoperating dogs for latching the movable cathead and the stationary postframe assembly.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines 9-9 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary detail view partly in section of the ballbearing jack screw drive assembly. I

FIG. 11 is a detail top plan view of the stabilizer clamp used in FIG.2.

FIG. 12 is a detail top plan view of the scaffold to post assemblyinsert shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 13 is a detail side elevational view of the device of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the material boardsupport and the board to be attached.

FIG. 15 is a front View outline drawing, partly in schematic to show thefunctional parts of the lift mechamsm.

FIG. 16 shows a modified post assembly having a structure to permit theuse of a monorail operated automatic hod carrier assembly in conjunctionwith the scaffold arrangement I.

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the supply board support shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawing, it will be observed in FIGS. l-4 that the scaffoldingarrangement, indicated here at 2 includes basically a series of spacedvertical post assemblies 3, each having a material board support 4 and afoot board support 5, which supports each receive one end of a materialboard 6 and a foot board 7 respectively and support these boards incooperation with similar supports on the next adjacent post assembly anda lift assembly 8 by which the supports and consequently the board 6 and7 are selectively raised either separately or simultaneously for optimumpositioning of the workmans position relative to both his work and thematerials he is using.

Each post assembly 3 includes a pair of vertically extending pipe orposts 9 having vertically spaced and aligned dogs 10 which aretriangular in cross section and includes a fiat ledge for receiving alatch 12 of a cooperating latch assembly 13 of adjacent cathead 14 (andlatch 13A of material support 56 as hereinafter described). Atinstallation on the job site, the lower ends of posts 9 are joinedtogether by a stabilizer clamp 15 (FIG. 2) which also joins the lowerend of post assembly 3 with a conventional scaffold assembly 16 whilethe upper end of post assembly 3 is joined to scaffold assembly 16 byinsert 17. In this manner the long posts 9 are stabilized againstswaying or movement by virtue of their being tied in with a relativelystationary scaffold assembly 16 which has internal bracing 18 to providein effect a rigid operating base. Details of the clamp 15 are shown inFIG. 11 while the insert 17 is shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Clamp 15includes a flat plate 19 having welded pipe clamps 20 at each lateralend thereon to firmly engage the lower ends of posts 9 while the backslide of plate 19 includes a telescoping pipe clamp unit 21 to anchorthe clamp 15 and consequently the post assembly 3 and the entirescaffold arrangement 2 to the conventional scaffold assembly 16. Wingscrew 22 permits clamp unit 21 to be adjusted to fit spacingrequirements at installation. Insert 17 includes a flat horizontal top23 having three downward extending short pipes 24, 24a and 25 Welded tothe underside thereof for cooperating engagement with both the postassembly 3 and scaffold assembly 16 to provide stability for the upperend of scaffolding arrangement 2. Pipes 24 and 24a telescope into theopen upper ends of posts 9, whereas pipe 25 is attached to scaffold endpipe 26 by a welded in short coupling 27.

The lift assembly 8 is inter-positioned in and on the post assembly 3 sothat the two assemblies cooperate to lift the supports 4 and 5 and theirparticular boards 6 and 7. The lift assembly cathead 30 is made up oftwo parallel pipes 31 of a large enough diameter to telescope over thefoot board support pipe 32 which extends from foot board support 5upward along the outboard side of each post 9 at a slightly spaceddistance therefrom. The support 5 is a triangular truss which extendsoutward from pipe 32 in cantilever fashion and is so constructed that ithas -a fiat upper surface to receive one end of board 7 and it hassuificient strength to support the required number of workmen and otherloads likely to be imposed thereon. In a modified support 5a shown inFIG. 14, an angle 33 and ball 34 are attached at the lateral outboardsides of the support to receive a cooperating socket structure 35attached to the underside of foot board 7. This latter construction hascertain advantages, such as case of retention on the support and isrecommended for use under certain operating conditions. Cathead 30includes pair of connection straps 36 which rigidly attach pipes 31 toform a unitary cathead and also centrally support gear housing 37 of thecrank or power unit 38. Details of the power unit 38 may be observed inFIG. wherein the housing 37, welded to straps 36, partially encloses alead screw 40 and retains the upper end of this lead screw in rotatablerelation by means of thrust bearings 41 located on both sides of topplate 42 and bearing retainer collar 43. The upper end of lead screw 40is threaded as at 44 and engages nut 45 to retain a bearing protectorcap 46 in place on top plate 42. An upward facing horizontallypositioned bevel gear '47 integral with lead screw 40 is located inhousing 37 so as to mesh with vertically positioned bevel gear 48integral with crank shaft 49. The entire length of lead screw 40 belowhousing 37 is threaded by a square (or similar) thread 50 which mesheswith corresponding threads in hole 51 of travelling block 52 of materialboard support 4. Block 52, in addition to being threaded through hole51, includes a ball return channel 53 by which the plurality of balls 54forming this ball bearing unit are recirculated as lead screw 40 isrotated in either direction. The lead screw ball bearing combination isa commercial unit and eliminates friction to such an extent that withonly a moderate leverage in crank 64 on power shaft 49, one man caneasily lift several men standing on foot board 7; and the alternatesmall reversible motor 64a would obviously lift an even greater load andin a faster time.

The material or supply board support indicated generally at 4 isactually made up of two structural units, a guide frame 55 (FIG. 7) anda support frame 56 (FIG. 6) which two frames are rigidly joined atinstallation to form the complete support 4. The guide frame 55 includesthe screw retaining travelling block 52 and a series of spaced rollers57 which engage and cooperate with posts 9 to both guide and provide arolling contact for the support 4 when the latter is being lifted. Theframe 56 includes a U-shaped bracket 5% having four short bars 59 weldedthereto and extending both inward and outward from bracket 58 in alateral direction. Each bar includes a ball 60 for cooperation withsockets 61 of material board truss 62 to which board 6 is fastened bybolts (not shown).

In one method of operation, which is referred to as arrangement I, thepipes 32 of foot board support 5 are pin connected as indicated at 63 tomaterial bracket 58 so that the material board support 4 and foot boardsupport 5 move in unison when raised. By using this specific arrangement(I), the brick mason may rotate crank lever 64 of power unit 38 in aclockwise direction and raise both himself and his materials any desireddistance as the wall he is building progresses in height. The dogs 10are spaced 2 /8 inches apart, which is the exact width of a brick plusmortar, so that the mason may raise his working position as he completeseach level of brick work.

The very few seconds invested to rotate the crank lever provide a returnin time saving many times over in completion of the job, and equallyimportant provides a greater freedom of the mason from workman fatiguewhile also increasing his efliciency. The material board 6 in thisarrangement I is located a predetermined distance above the foot boardwhich distance is determined by the strike zone of the mason using thematerials. The strike zone being that space between a masons shouldersand his knees, and if the material board is stationary relative to themason, as it is in this specific arrangement I, the material board wouldbe positioned at the vertical position necessary to place the averageheight of the brick or block B on pallet P at his waist line (midway ofthe strike zone).

The mechanism by which the lifting occurs in arrangement I is asfollowes: Cathead 30 includes inwardly facing latch assemblies 13 inwhich a latch 12 is pivoted therein at 66 and counterweighted at 67 sothat latch 12 is normally horizontal and rests against upper stop 68 dueto its pivoted and counterweighted construction. However, any downwardforce on the upper side of latch 12, as for instance the next adjacentdog It will force latch 12 down while it slides by the dog 10 as cathead30' is being raised. Once past the dog 10, latch 12. rapidly pivots backto its horizontal position and prevents any downward movement of cathead30 when latch 12 is resting on the upper side of dog 10. The materialbracket 58 includes a similar latch assembly 13a which functions in thesame manner as latch assembly 13. There has thus been provided twounits, cathead 30 and material support 4 (together with foot support 5when pin connected at 63) which is slidable relative to each other andboth independently slidcable in an upward direction relative to posts 9and both independently capable of being locked against downwardmovement. Therefore, by using either unit as a referred point, the otherunit may be raised relative to this reference point and consequentlyrelative to posts 9. For example, starting from any position such asshown in FIG. 15, when crank lever 64 is rotated clockwise its gear 48rotates gear 47 and lead screw 40 in a direction to lift travellingblock 52 and consequently its integral material support 4 (and footsupport 5 when attached by pin 63) until latch 12a of its latch assembly13a rests on a higher dog 10 of post 9. If the crank lever 64 is thenrotated counterclockwise, latch assembly 13a and material support 4 thenbecome the stationary reference point and lead screw 40 will force itsbearing housing 37 and consequently connecting straps 36 and theintegrally attached cathead 30 upward until its latch assembly 13 restson another higher dog 10.

In another arrangement, specified as No. II the vertical pipe 31 ofcathead 30 is rigidly attached by pin 70 through pin opening 70' to pipe32 which is telescoped therein so that the cathead 30 and foot support 5will move in unison, and if pin 63 is removed from pin opening 63' thematerial support 4, may then be moved independent of either. The valueof the arrangement II is the independent movement of the material boardso that as the mason uses brick 01f the top of his material stack thelevel he operates in may be moved up. It is pointed out again that ifthe mason works in his strike zone his work is both faster and moreefficient, and the resulting finished product will be more attractive.Since the mason will remove brick from the top of the supply on pallet Pthe level of the brick will decrease, and at the same time the height ofwall is increasing due to his laying the brick thereon; consequently hemust either reach up or stoop down while using a specific material bothif the height of both the material board 6 may be raised without movingfoot board 7 during the build-up of the section of wall W which iswithin the masons strike zone. Since the dogs 10 are spaced a brickheight apart, the masoncan turn crank lever 64 until he hears 0r seesthe click of latch 12 on dog 10, at which point he may stop if he wishesto move up only one brick level as the machine has automatically movedthat far only. Now if the mason has laid six rows of brick, he may turnthe crank lever until he has heard six clicks and he knows he will haveauto matically moved up the proper distance.

FIG. 4A shows a modified post 9A having two vertical spaced pipes 9 witha thin fiat bar 80 extending across the space separating pipes 9. Thedogs 10 are then welded on the flat bar 80 rather than directly on pipe9 as this greatly facilitates the Welded installation and the completepost will have a greater strength and rigidity than the single post 9.

FIG. 16 a hod carrier support 85 extends rearwardly from pipe 32 and iscomprised of A frame 86 having a laterally extending pipe 87 at itsouter end. Smaller A frames 88 and 89 are installed on cathead 30 adistance above frame 86 and support lateral pipes 96 and 9 1respectively. Pipes 9!? and 91 will permit a roller R1 of the monorailtype hod carrier H to ride regardless of the location of the loadwhereas pipe 87 will support and guide the main load roller R2.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of this invention, still in practice such deviations fromsuch detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from thespirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and usefuland is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A scaffolding arrangement for brick laying opera tions, comprising:spaced vertical post assemblies, vertical posts in said assemblies, acathead comprising vertical pipes parallel to said posts, a materialboard support on each post and cooperating with said cathead, tubularmembers extending from said pipes, a foot support on said tubularmembers, a lift means cooperatively attached between said cathead andsaid material support and adapted to first lift said cathead relative tosaid material support and post and then lift said material supportrelative to said cathead and post; means to selectively attach said footsup port tubular members to said pipes or to said material support, saidpost including vertically spaced dogs and both said cathead and saidmaterial support including latch means in alignment with said dogs, andsaid lift means being adapted to selectively litf either latch means forindependent engagement with certain of said dogs.

2. In a scaffolding structure having vertical support post assembliesand having a foot platform and a separate materials platform, a firstvertical member adapted to be vertically movably mounted on one of saidpost assemblies and having a latch means effective when engaged forpreventing downward motion of said first vertical member, a secondvertical member adapted to be movably mounted on said one of said postassemblies and having a second latch means efi'ectivewhen engaged forpreventing downward motion of said second member, said second memberbeing adapted for motion relative to said first member, and moving meansinterconnecting said first and second members efiective when rotated ina first direction and when said first latch means is engaged for movingsaid second member upwardly along said one of said supports, said movingmeans being eifective when rotated in a direction opposite said firstdirection and when said second latch means is engaged for moving saidfirst member upwardly; a platform supported by each first and secondvertical members for carrying said foot platform and materials platformrespectively.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,035,595 Johnson Aug. 13, 1912 1,616,743 Erickson Feb. 8, 19271,922,069 Adams Aug. 15, 1933 2,216,912 Hoitsrna Oct. 8, 1940 2,430,179Lanchester Nov. 4, 1947

